Lifts

How many of you guys are running a Rubicon express kit and how many are running a Rocky RoadOutfitters? How are good are they and are you happy with whatcha bolted on?

I have the RE 3.5" with full rear leaf packs and their monotube shocks which are actually made for a lifted jeep unlike all the other generic off-road shocks which are just the same shock made in different lengths and mounting options and ride like crap on our little light jeeps. I also have JKS lower control arms and trac bar and quick disconnects. I absolutely love my lift it rides really nice on the highway and flexes like mad off-road for just be 3.5" of lift. I love the wow factor and the looks of the other guys faces when they see what the Jeep can do. While other guys are having to take all these crazy lines to get down an obstacle, I just pretty much go straight through and let the suspension do all the work. RE got their good reputation for a reason. Now I haven't heard anything bad about Rock Road Outfitters lifts but just dear God don't buy Rough Country!

Well i know a little about Rough Country on my Dodge and it was just that Rough....

I have the 4.5 RE. I have had no problems with it. Ive had it 4 years. GO with a full leaf packs. I didnt and now i have to buy new leaf packs.

I have been getting alot of positive feed back on the Rubicon kits...

Go with the RE kit and you wont regret it.

yeah, I had the RE 3.5" superflex (currently running a 6" long-arm 3-link kit) and it was great. It flexed like crazy, rode really well on and off road, and performed great. I really have no complaints for the kit at all and would definitely buy it again. I agree that RE has a good reputation for a reason. Having said that, I don't know anything about rocky road outfitters to give an opinion on them. If the prices are similar, I'd go with RE for sure.

99xj4x4 said:

Go with the RE kit and you wont regret it.

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X2 and like said before get the full leaf pack.

Rocky Road has a terrible reputation

I just picked up the Zone Offroad 4.5" kit for my '89, and so far everything fits. It's nothing fancy, (add-a-leaf rears, and lower control arms only) but the price was very reasonable. I'll update when I've tested it on the trail.

Were there any snags you guys ran into on the rubicon kit?

Ive personally put on 3 RE xj kits, and one on a YJ. Only snag Ive had was a problem with the XJ no longer having a pinch weld that the RE kit bolted to. Had nothing to do with RE. They have all otherwise they all bolted right up, and all the parts were there the first time, everything fits with no notching, grinding, or welding required.
Hands down best starter lifts out there

It is making it easier to make a decision on which lift i want , thats for sure...

One thing you really need to watch out for is the bolts at the top of the rear shocks can easily rust in and will break when trying to take them out so make sure and spray plenty of PB blaster a few days before deconstruction so you don't break them otherwise they are a pain to fix many have to cut and access panel in the floor of the cargo area to weld in new nuts. Also be careful with the bolts for the cross member when putting in the t-case drop becuase those like to rust in as well I did this once on my old MJ. Other than those couple problems there shouldnt be too many things that should give you a lot of trouble unless you Jeep is from the north in the salty winters because everything will be rusty and difficult to deal with.

Ben824 said:

One thing you really need to watch out for is the bolts at the top of the rear shocks can easily rust in and will break when trying to take them out so make sure and spray plenty of PB blaster a few days before deconstruction so you don't break them otherwise they are a pain to fix many have to cut and access panel in the floor of the cargo area to weld in new nuts. Also be careful with the bolts for the cross member when putting in the t-case drop becuase those like to rust in as well I did this once on my old MJ. Other than those couple problems there shouldnt be too many things that should give you a lot of trouble unless you Jeep is from the north in the salty winters because everything will be rusty and difficult to deal with.

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I had those bolts break simply because they were way to rusted to stop it from happening. I didn't bother cutting out any of the floor area to access the tops. I took a couple pieces of 1/8 steel and cut it into lengths approximately 3" L x 1" W and drilled the diameter of the bolt size into the small plates. From that point, I simply took out the mig welder and welded the nuts to each plate centered over the holes. Once that was done, let them cool and simply held one end of each length and fed the bolt up through the bottom into the nuts that were welded on top, once I started tightening down the nuts, the lengths of the steel had no choice but to stop turning inside the upper shock members, at which point, they tightened right up, plus it adds a washer between the nut and steel as well . That took about 15 minutes to think up and a sneaky little trick to conquering those hard to reach places where wrenches just don't go.

As for the RE, I purchased the 5.5 Extreme Duty lift. After much searching the best place to buy the kit from is Off Road Toy Store. They were the lowest price and they included the RE Twin Tube shocks which so far have worked fine for me. I'll eventually upgrade to the Mono's, but to be included in the kit was terrific. RE and a couple other places selling this lift don't include a single shock, so for your money this is the route to take. You can also upgrade at a later time to long arms if you like. I may do so eventually, but for now, I have not a single bad thing to say about my RE system. Turns alot of heads, lol.

So is there a way to take the Rubicon 2" kit and convert in some way to a 3" in the front, i have already figured out the rear. Also anybody running the Zone offroad 3" kit?

rgjeep said:

So is there a way to take the Rubicon 2" kit and convert in some way to a 3" in the front, i have already figured out the rear. Also anybody running the Zone offroad 3" kit?

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The 2" kit is simply a polyurethane spacer on the front not a full coil spring. but if you do Grand Cherokee V8 springs or find some factory XJ UpCountry suspension group springs that will give you a little extra lift in the front and you can maybe net around 3 inches.

rgjeep said:

So is there a way to take the Rubicon 2" kit and convert in some way to a 3" in the front, i have already figured out the rear. Also anybody running the Zone offroad 3" kit?

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Basically, this Kit is the Least one would need to Lift to 3"s on a XJ. IMHO

Add A Leafs will Flatten Out. Mine did after just a Few Months. Better to Upgrade to Full Leaf Packs. IMHO

You could Call them and see what the Kit would Cost if they Swapped out the Add A Leafs for Spring Packs. Just a Suggestion.

Zone Offroad: 1-888-998-9663

I already inquired them about full leaf packs and they said that their company that produces the leaf springs has not put together a full pack yet. They have a live chat that you can talk to a representative.

As for RE. I have heard nothing but good from them and I will let you know how my 3.5 kit works out for me when I get it on.

A Fellow Jeeper here S Twisted his Driver Side RE Leaf Spring yesterday. RE Leaf Springs, I believe are Fabricated in India.

Better to go with BDS Leaf Springs with their Lifetime Warranty for any Reason; Flattening, Warping, Bending, Twisting, Breaking, or anything Else. If you have a Local 4x4 Shop nearby, order them from there and save on Shipping. IMHO

004209 3" Rear Leaf Spring $190.05 each $380.09 a pair

004509 5" Rear Leaf Spring $214.92 each $429.84 a pair